This invention relates to household appliances and more particularly, to a plug-in hub ring for use in mounting an electric motor in a clothes dryer, for example.
In conventional clothes dryers of the type used in households, hot air is blown over the clothes placed in a housing or drum to dry them. A blower motor installed in the dryer has a shaft extending through a wall of the housing and a fan on the inner end of the shaft circulates the hot air about. The motor, in turn, is supported on a bracket external to the housing and an elastometric or rubber mounting ring is typically used with the motor to obtain proper alignment of the motor and to dampen vibrations. In addition, a lint seal is employed to prevent lint from migrating through the opening in the side of the housing, getting into the motor's bearings, and damaging the motor.
A variety of clamping arrangements have been used with dryer motors to affix the mounting ring on the end of the motor. An example of such an arrangement is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,656 which is assigned to the assignee of the present application. The base in which the ring fits is usually a sheet metal base or plate. Once the motor is installed, a clamp is fitted over the ring to clamp the motor in place while retaining rotational and axial motion in the base. Such arrangements have a certain drawbacks. First, a number of parts are required. Second, the assembly procedure is cumbersome. Third, lint sealing and vibration dampening are not wholly satisfactory. It would be advantageous, for example, if the clamping system could be simplified or done away with. This would not only reduce the number of parts required, but also reduce assembly time and lower costs. Also, lint protection and vibration dampening could be improved.